Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices — and putting app developers in the middle.

Apple will soon require apps to ask users for permission to collect data on what devices they are using and to let ads follow them around on the internet. The social network said Wednesday that those rules could reduce what apps can earn by advertising through Facebook’s audience network.

Facebook said it expects “less impact” on its own advertising revenue than on the ad-supported businesses that rely on its audience network to promote their apps. The audience network allows Facebook and Instagram advertisers to place their ads elsewhere on the internet.

Apple says the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 14, is designed to protect people’s privacy. It will require apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data using a unique code that identifies their iPhones and iPads. The update is due later this fall.

Facebook said that because of this change, it will no longer collect the identifier for advertisers on its own apps for iOS 14 devices. It is also asking businesses to create new ad accounts dedicated solely to running ads for apps for iOS 14 users in order to comply with Apple’s new rules.

Apple, on the other hand, said it is intent on giving people more choice over how they want to be tracked by companies on the internet — and the ability to say no if they don’t.

David Chavern, CEO of the news-publisher trade group News Media Alliance, said the change is “more annoying than material.” But he added that it could still cost publishers money by making ads on their apps less valuable to advertisers.

“The annoying part comes from the loss of revenue at a time when all revenue is important, and the unilateral nature of Apple’s decision,” he said. “They decide and the rest of the world just has to adapt.”

Source:AP

Also Read:

GOOGLE LAUNCHES READ ALONG OFFLINE APP TO HELP KIDS LEARN AND READ BETTER

TOP PHONES UNDER 50000 IN NEPAL 2020 (UPDATED) | SPECS - BEST MOBILES..

GOOGLE HOME 2.27 BRINGS DARK THEME TO ANDROID

ONLINE LEARNING EFFECT ELECTRONIC DEVICE USAGE TO RISE

SMARTPHONE WINNERS OF EISA AWARDS 2020-2021

XIAOMI LAUNCHES REDMI NOTE 9 PRO MAX QUAD CAMERA SETUP | FULL SPECIFICATIONS

WHAT ARE BEST GAMING PHONES AVAILABLE IN NEPAL?

Facebook and Microsoft's grievances over how their gaming apps appear on Apple's App Store may feed into an EU investigation into the iPhone maker's business as EU antitrust regulators said such concerns are on their radar.

The European Commission in June opened four probes into Apple, three of which are into its App Store and its restrictive rules, including requirements that app developers use its own in-app purchasing system.

US social media giant Facebook and Microsoft are the latest companies to voice concerns about the rules, which have drawn criticism from app developers who say they create an uneven playing field to compete with the iPhone maker.

Asked about Facebook and Microsoft's issues with Apple, Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said in a statement: "The Commission is aware of these concerns regarding Apple's App Store rules."

She did not provide details.

Apple dismissed criticism of its App Store rules, saying that all apps are reviewed against the same set of guidelines whose aim is to protect customers and provide a fair and level playing field for developers.

Facebook last week said its gaming app was only available on Apple's App Store as a streaming service and that users will not be able to play games.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said the company had to remove gameplay functionality entirely to secure Apple's approval of its Facebook Gaming app.

Microsoft, which has a game-streaming service called Project xCloud said: "Apple stands alone as the only general-purpose platform to deny consumers from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass."

"It consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more lenient rules to non-gaming apps even when they include interactive content," it added in an emailed statement.

Source: Reuters

 

Also Read:

MICROSOFT’S SURFACE DUO HAS REVEALED IT'S RELEASE PLANS

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES GALAXY WATCH3 AND BUDS LIVE

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S7+, GALAXY TAB S7 WITH DUAL REAR CAMERAS, S PEN SUPPORT LAUNCHED

MILLIONS OF IPHONES AND IPADS AT RISK TO NEW EMAIL HACK; APPLE SAYS FIX IS COMING SOON

APPLE AND GOOGLE ADDING NEW FEATURES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DEVELOPERS TO BUILD CONTACT-TRACING APPS

Apple and Google dropped the popular game Fortnite from their app stores after the game’s developer introduced a direct payment plan that bypasses their platforms.

Apple and Google both take a 30% cut from in-app revenue purchases in games, which has long been a sore spot with developers.

Fortnite is free, but users can pay for in game accoutrements like weapons and skins. Its developer, Epic Games, said in a blog post Thursday that it was introducing Epic Direct payments, a direct payment plan for Apple’s iOS and Google Play. Epic said the system is the same payment system it already uses to process payments on PC and Mac computers and Android phones.

Apple and Google said the service violates their guidelines.

“Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services,” Apple said in statement.

Google said Fortnite will remain available on Android, just not through its app store. Android users can download the app from other app stores, although that’s generally not an option for iPhone users.

Epic Games did not immediately return a request for comment. Epic’s Fortnite Twitter account said the company would debut a new short film called “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite,” a seeming parody of Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial that introduced the Macintosh computer. It has also filed a complaint against Apple in the U.S. District Court in Northern California for dropping Fortnite.

Source:AP

 

Also Read:

HUAWEI TO INTRODUCE A NOTEBOOK WITH FLOATING DISPLAY

HUAWEI NOVA 5T PRICE IN NEPAL | FULL SPECIFICATION

APPLE AND GOOGLE ADDING NEW FEATURES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DEVELOPERS TO BUILD CONTACT-TRACING APPS

MICROSOFT SURFACE DUO: PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER

 

GALAXY S20 APPEARED ON GEEKBENCH WITH AN EXYNOS 990 CHIPSET

Facebook's "classic" experience, the interface with the iconic blue navigation bar at the top, is disappearing for good in September.

According to The Verge, Engadget reported that a Facebook support page has been updated and everyone will soon have the new design. Although users can temporarily switch back to the old interface on Facebook's site, the button warns that "the classic Facebook will no longer be available starting in September." The new interface was announced at Facebook's developer conference last year and initially rolled out on the service's iOS and Android apps.

In March, it got a widespread release on desktop, as an opt-in feature, leaving people free to continue using the old design if they want to. However, in September, the old design will disappear.

The Verge reported that the new interface is a big change from what Facebook has used for most of its existence. The new interface is expected to be a lot cleaner and should include a lot more white space, and there's also a dark mode.

Functionally, it also places a bigger focus on the service's Groups features, as well as prominently displaying links to Facebook's Watch, Marketplace, and Gaming sections in its top navigation bar.

 

Also Read:

HYUNDAI VENUE SUV HAS BEEN AWARDED A 2020 TSP

VOLKSWAGEN BEGINS PRODUCTION OF ID.4 ELECTRIC SUV IN GERMANY

RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI NOW TARGETS PROFITABILITY RATHER THAN VOLUMES

GOOGLE PIXEL 5 LAUNCH ON SEPTEMBER 30

APPLE IPHONE 12 DESIGN LEAK

APPLE, SAMSUNG TO BOOST CELLPHONE MANUFACTURING IN INDIA

Google’s own engineers were troubled by the way the company secretly tracked the movements of people who didn’t want to be followed until a 2018 Associated Press investigation uncovered the shadowy surveillance, according to unsealed documents in a consumer fraud case.

The behind-the-scenes peek stems from a three-month-old lawsuit against Google filed by Arizona’s attorney general. The files, unsealed late last week, reveal that Google knew it had a massive problem on its hands after an AP article published in August 2018 explained how the company continued to track users’ whereabouts even after they had disabled the feature Google called “location history.”

The released documents include internal Google emails and a fresh version of the state’s civil complaint with fewer redactions than the original.

The same day the AP story was published, the company held what one unidentified email correspondent called an “Oh S—-” meeting to discuss its location tracking tools, according to the unsealed records in Arizona’s Maricopa County Superior Court. Google also began monitoring public reaction to the AP story, including how it was trending across Facebook, Twitter and other influential online services, the documents show.

The release of the emails is embarrassing for a company that tries to build trust with billions of users of free services such as maps and online search, which in turn provide the personal information Google can use to target ads. Those ads generated more than $130 billion in revenue last year alone.

Google is still fighting to keep many of the exhibits and key passages in the lawsuit redacted on the grounds that the contents contain confidential information.

Google is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the Arizona law only applies to goods and services that charge consumers. That would exclude free services that draw upon the tracking tools that are at the heart of the lawsuit.

The company also contends that Brnovich, a Republican, may have been prodded to pursue the investigation by Oracle, which has been involved in a long-running legal battle over the rights to some of the software code used in Google’s Android software for smartphones and other mobile devices.

“Privacy controls have long been built into our services and our teams work continuously to discuss and improve them,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said Wednesday. “In the case of location information, we’ve heard feedback, and have worked hard to improve our privacy controls.”

Source:AP

Also Read:

GIONEE UNVEILED NEW SMARTPHONE IN CHINA

STEVE JOBS VISION IS FULFILLED BY APPLE CEO TIM COOK

REALME X7 SERIES GRADIENT COLOR DESIGN REVEALED

MOTOROLA MOTO G9 PRICE AND SPECIFICATIONS

GOOGLE TO MERGE VIDEO-CALLING APPS DUO AND MEET: REPORT

GOOGLE HOME 2.27 BRINGS DARK THEME TO ANDROID

GOOGLE LAUNCHES READ ALONG OFFLINE APP TO HELP KIDS LEARN AND READ BETTER